Second Chances
by xangelx
Summary: Mia and Dom Toretto's baby sister who ran away when she was 16 comes back 2 ½ years later with a team of her own and she pays her
1. chapter 1

Chapter 1 China Tells Her Past  
  
China's P.O.V.   
  
Present   
  
Let's see, where should I begin? Guess the only place to start is the beginning.  
  
Flashback   
  
Two and a half years ago I ran away from my home in L.A, California. My older brother, Dom, and my older sister, Mia, ignored me whenever there was a party at our house, which was practically every goddamn night cause Dom always won the goddamn races they all went to. Then they left me home and let me have some friends over. But, when they got home, they never paid any attention to me, they always fucking ignored me, and just for the fucking record, I couldn't do a single goddamn thing. I couldn't go to my room to get away from the parties, I couldn't go outside to hang with my friends. My friends and I always got stuck in the goddamn kitchen. Alright enough of that. During the week I went to school, afterwards I was at the garage or at the grocery store/café with Mia, and let me tell you, working at the store was not fun. Besides, I wasn't like Mia, I couldn't work at the store me and Letty always hoped that Mia would hurry up and get back from where ever she went when we got stuck working the store so that we could get back to our work in the garage. I was more like Dom and our dad. I like cars, you could say it's in my blood.  
  
I'd work in the garage six days a week. Five days a week after school, all day Saturday or until Dom says we can all go home. And while I was working, Dom was a mean ass fucker, I couldn't have friends talking to me or hanging around. Mean, Dom has known my friends since we were like fucking five years old! I couldn't see why my friends couldn't hang, talk and watch me do my thing with all of the damn cars I worked on. I just couldn't understand, until the day Dom said, " You're friends are a damn distraction to you while you're working!" I just could not understand that part of Dom. I couldn't understand him. It was like that since I was twelve. So, you could say that I got sick and tired of Dom's bullshit. My friends even got scared of Dom, Leon, Vince and Jesse. I could've killed those four. I swear if Letty wasn't there, I probably would have killed them. So, that's the reason why I left L.A. I couldn't handle watching my friends being put down like that, especially since they were trying not to freak out in front of me. My friends in L.A knew I was going out of town for a while. I told them I was leaving and that I didn't know where I was going. I told them I'd call to check in and write once a week. I told Mia and Let I was leaving but I made them promise not to tell Dom and the guys. So, I packed some clothes, cell phone and pager for my friends for whenever they needed me, left a note for the guys, got in my car and left.  
  
Didn't know where the hell I was going, I just drove, East for a general direction. While I was in Dallas, Texas, my car decided to give me some trouble. So, I stopped at this tattoo parlor to assess the damage, and then remembered that I didn't bring any of my tools for the car. While I was checking the engine, with my head under the goddamn hood, some girl comes up behind me and says, " Need some help?" I jumped at the sound of her voice and hit my head on the underside of the hood.  
  
"Ow! Shit!" I exclaimed turning around to look at who said the question. I sighed. "Yeah...my car's giving me some trouble and I didn't bring any of my goddamn tools." I said once again looking at my engine.  
  
"My name's Angel, but people 'round here call me Devil cause I'm a fast little bitch in my car. I got some tools in my car if you want to use them." Angel said.  
  
"Cool. My name's China but people back home called me either Angel or Rain, or even C. If you don't mind." I said leaning against my car. She left to go get her tools when two guys came out of the parlor. One looked about 6'2" while the other was just over 6'1".  
  
"Need some help?" the one that was 6'2" asked me sizing me up.  
  
"Nah, I'm set." I said as Angel came back over.  
  
"Here you are. You need any help?" Angel asked looking at the two guys. "Ronald, Denver, what the hell you two doing out here? You two are supposed to be working." Angel said. I just shook my head and went to work on my car. "Yo, China."  
  
"What?" I asked from underneath the hood.  
  
"You got to actually look for this." Angel said laughing slightly. I said something incoherent but obliged. "This is Denver and this is Ronald. He doesn't like his name so we just call him either Trickster or Trick or both." Angel said introducing them to me.  
  
" My name's China. Nice to meet you." I said bluntly and went back to work. "Shiiiit!" was soon heard from under the hood. "Why me? Why fucking now?" I said under my breath slamming the tool I had in my hand down on the cement sidewalk. Angel, Denver, and 'Trick' come back outside with a little girl seeing that I was having some trouble.  
  
"Having some trouble?" Angel asked.  
  
"Yeah..well, no. There wouldn't be any street races here in Dallas, would there?" I asked. My car was a racer, Dom had made sure of that.  
  
"Yeah. Always is. We meet over at the abandoned warehouses in downtown." Denver said looking suspicious of me.  
  
"Thanks. One race, that's all I need to get enough money to get my own place." I said the last part to myself.  
  
That Night   
  
Trick and his team were waiting to see if I was going to show up, and when I did, they made sure everyone knew I was in town, and new at that. I found a place, parked, got out and sat on the hood of my car, like I used to do at home. I looked around when Trick and his team came over with smirks on their faces.  
  
"What?" I asked not knowing what they were about to do.  
  
"Oh, nothing. I'm just going to go give my speech now." Trick said.  
  
"Oh, joy. Used to get those at home, and not only at the damn races." I said as Trick walked off.  
  
"We get it here and at the house. And what the fuck is he doing?" Angel said looking at Trick. "Uh-oh he went through with it Den."  
  
"Who went through with what?" I asked them curiously.  
  
"Oh you'll see or rather you'll hear." Denver said still looking at Trick. "Uh-oh. He's calling you out." Denver said as Trick and some other people came over to our group.  
  
"Alright. The buy-in is 10-grand. And you're racing me chick." Trick said. "Give your money to...Angel." Trick said to me.  
  
I laughed and said, " Alright. Here you go. Let's do this fool" I said jumping off the hood of my car and got in my car.  
  
"Follow me little girl." Trick said with a smirk as he got in his car.  
  
At the Race   
  
The street was blocked off as me and Trick pulled up to the starting line. I turned on my NOS system and blasted my music. I looked over at Trick and smiled, not an overconfident smile, but a slight grin. Trick grinned back. I rolled my eyes. We waited patiently for the "go" signal. Angel threw her hands down when we made eye contact with her. We took off. Trick started from straight up zip, while me, chuckle , I started from about 80 mph. I let Trick think that he was going to win but, I hit the second NOS button and won the race. Trick didn't look pissed, he didn't look mad at all, he just looked shocked and surprised that I, a girl no less, beat him at street racing. chuckle Let's just say that he's a very sore loser. He so didn't like it that I won the race instead of him. But anyway this is what he said -  
  
"Bitch! What the hell do you think you were doing?!" he yelled at me as Angel handed me my winnings.  
  
"What the fuck you think it looks like fool? I just dusted your ass in my smoke. Yo! Denver! What'd I stop from? 280?" I asked Denver smirking.  
  
"Trick, she's right. She did stop from 280. Man, she's a fast one." Denver said looking at me. I smiled.  
  
"All right, look, we need one more person on our team. Want to join? You just beat me, and so did Denver and Angel." Trick said trying not to beg.  
  
Trying not to bust out laughing I said, "Want to know something, Ronald ," I said emphasizing his real name. He flinched at the use of his real name as the crowd erupted in laughter. "I didn't have to beat you like I did, I could've been in the buy-in with a couple other racers, but, you had to go and call me out to a one on one race. Now, tell me something, who's fault was it that you lost the damn race? Mine? Nah, I don't think so. Yours, now that's absolutely an absolute yes!" I said laughing with the rest of the crowd. "Oh, um...I will join your team by the way." The whole crowd laughed at that. "Oh, and uh...don't call me a little girl ever again, otherwise your nose is broken." I said smiling as the crowd started to laugh. All of a sudden I heard sirens. And everyone scattered for their cars before the cops showed up.  
  
End Flashback   
  
Present   
  
In a Hotel Room Outside of LA   
  
I laugh when I look back at that race. But, now, me and the team are headed back to my home in L.A. "Yippee!" for me. Didn't know I missed everyone so much. Guess it took Emerald, Trick's five and a half year old little girl, to make me see how much I miss Dom screaming at my friends to go home and to come over to the house later. I missed Letty and how she used to get Dom to let me do the things that I wanted to do. I miss Mia and how she used to make me help with the Sunday barbecues every week. I miss Leon, Vince and Jesse and how they used to crack jokes just to make me laugh at work after Dom made my friends leave and made me cry while doing that. I miss Dom the most cause he always reminded me of daddy and how he made me feel like I'm more than what people say about me at the races. I miss them all. I've kept in touch with all my friends in L.A. They all know that I'm coming back and with the team and Emerald. Hope they all like my new friends/team. Hope Dom doesn't blow up at me for leaving without saying goodbye. Wonder what everyone's going to think of me when I just show up tomorrow, without calling them first. Oh boy, I just hope tomorrow goes over really well and doesn't end up with me or anyone else in the fucking hospital.  
  
yawn Well, now I'm tired and I best be getting to bed before Trick comes in here and decides to yell at me for something I didn't do. SO, Diary, I'm out and I'll write again soon. xChinax  
  
I put my diary back in my suitcase and got ready for bed. I had just laid down when my cell phone for my friends rang. I groaned and answered it.  
  
"Hello?" I asked into the phone.  
  
"Yo, Rain. How's it hanging?" the male voice said.  
  
"Listen Bri, we'll talk tomorrow, promise. Meet me at the garage around noon. I got some friends I want you to meet." I said sleepily.  
  
"Alright. Lata dayz Rain." Brian O'Conner said hanging up.  
  
"Yeah, lata dayz Bri, lata dayz." I said hanging up my cell phone. "Just hope no one else calls me, pages me, or knocks on my door. Otherwise, they dead meat." I said closing my eyes and drifting off to dreamland. 


	2. chapter 2

Chapter 2 Back to Home  
  
China's POV   
  
Hotel Room   
  
It was nine in the morning and I didn't get to sleep 'til late last night, and guess who decided to wake me up, Emerald. All of our rooms were interconnected. I woke up to her bouncing on the bed.  
  
"Emerald...go...get...every - one...else...up...first." I said in time to her bouncing.  
  
"I already did. And we're all ready to get going Mama but you aren't up yet." Emerald said when she stopped bouncing.  
  
"Okay, okay. I'm up." I said sitting up and getting out of bed. "Now, go and get your things together and tell everyone that I'll be ready to go in 15 minutes. Okay Baby girl?" I said as I started to get dressed. She nodded as she ran out of the room closing the door behind her.  
  
2 Hours Later   
  
Toretto's Garage/Grocery Store/Café   
  
"Alright guys. Here we are." I said into the walkie-talkies that our team used.  
  
"Are you sure they're here?" Denver asked as we all got out of our cars.  
  
"Oh yea. It's Wednesday, of course they're here. C'mon. Come here kiddo." I said to Emerald as I picked her up. "Let's go and see if Mia's in the store." I said walking into the store/café.  
  
"I don't think anyone's in here C." Trick said looking around the store.  
  
"sigh Maybe they're in the garage." I said heading for the garage.  
  
"Dom, c'mon. So what she hasn't called in about two weeks." I heard my friend Niki say.  
  
"Yeah Dom. Maybe it's cause I decided to come back after two and a half years in Dallas." I said walking into the garage. "Go to daddy Emerald." I whispered into her ear. She nodded as I put her down.  
  
"China." Was all that Dom said when he saw me.  
  
"Dom." I said taking my jacket off. I was wearing a sky blue wife beater, baggy pants, and sneaks. I gave my jacket back to Angel who said she was cold.  
  
Dom's POV   
  
I couldn't believe it. China, my baby sister, was standing right in front of me. Just seeing her for the first time in two and a half years brings back some of the feelings I felt when she first ran. I was pissed, sad, guilty, depressed, almost all of the feelings that us humans feel every day.  
  
"China, we need to talk." I said turning around and walking out of the garage. When I got outside, I turned around and waited for her to come out. Finally, she came out. Guess Mia got to her before she had the chance to get outside.  
  
"Dom, look, I'm sorry I ran. I got-" China said but I interrupted her.  
  
"Why'd you leave?" I asked sadness lacing my voice at the memory of the day we found the note.  
  
"Because of you, well not you personally, but your overprotective self." She said with tears in her eyes. "I missed you Dom. Even when I called to check in with you, I missed you." She said giving me a hug.  
  
"I missed you too baby sister. I missed you too." I said hugging her back. "Now, c'mon. Let's take a look at your car shall we?" I said putting my arm around her shoulders.  
  
"Whatever bro, whatever." She said rolling her eyes. "But first I got to introduce you to my team, well my new friends anyway." She said as we walked back into the garage.  
  
Letty's POV   
  
It's good to see Dom and Mia happy again. It's really great to see Rain again. I missed her. All of her friends have missed her. Everyone that knows her, has missed her. It's good to have her home again.  
  
"Hey C!" I said giving her a welcome home hug. "How you been chica?"  
  
"Hey Let!" She said returning my hug. "I've been good. How you been chick?"  
  
"I've been good. Can't say the same for either Mia or Dom. They've been depressed and the house hasn't been the same since you left." I said following her and Dom with everyone else trailing behind.  
  
Trick's POV   
  
"You know Den, it's good to see China happy again. Mean, she said we don't have to stay but we're going to stay anyway, right?" I said to Denver while keeping an eye on Mera (Emerald).  
  
"Yea man. She's part of the team, so yea, mean, I'm going to stay and since you're going to stay, Emerald's got to stay." Denver said picking up Emerald so that she wouldn't go anywhere.  
  
"What about you Angel?" I asked her. She nodded her agreement.  
  
Mia's POV   
  
God! It's great to see Baby sister again. I missed her so much. Mean we kept in contact and stuff. She wrote to us and her friends. She called us and her friends. But, there's something different about her. She seems stronger, calmer, and she's not shy anymore. She's not the old China.  
  
"Hmmm...baby sister is all grown up." I whispered watching Dom and everyone as we walked out front.  
  
Emerald's POV   
  
Daddy loves Mama, but I don't think he loves her enough to make her my Mommy. Mean, don't get me wrong. I'm only five years old. But I do have a mind of my own. And Mama says that I'm smart for my age and to keep on reading the books that I like to read.  
  
Mama looks so happy that she is back with her family. I mean, her brother and sister. They look really nice, and they are really nice. I like them.  
  
Hey! I may be a five-year-old but I am smarter than I look. You could say I'm like that kid in Smart Guy. You know that t.v show where a kid who is supposed to be in like elementary school is in high school cause he's really smart. So Ha! Got you there didn't I?  
  
No One's POV   
  
Dom was still under the hood of China's car four hours later and they should've closed up shop an hour before.  
  
"Dom! C'mon! I'm hungry and Emerald's getting tired. Can we go please?! I'll cook." China said practically begging Dom.  
  
"Not yet sis. Got to find out what's under here." Dom said from under the hood.  
  
"Letty?" China asked turning to Letty. "Wait! You know what's under there! You practically put it all in yourself!"  
  
"Say no more." Letty whispered in China's ear. "Dom! Let's go babe." Letty yelled. Dom hesitated.  
  
"You can check it out when we get to the house Dom." Jesse said.  
  
"Alright. Who's going to ride with me?" China asked getting into her car.  
  
"I'm riding with Mama!" Emerald yelled jumping in the back of China's car.  
  
"That it?" China asked looking around. There were a number of 'yeas'. "Okay, I get it. I'm not safe in a car. Well screw all of you then!" China said pretending to be hurt. Everyone laughed as they got into they're respective cars and headed for the Toretto home. 


	3. chapter 3

Chapter 3 Street Race After party/Dom and China's Fight  
  
No One's POV   
  
Toretto Family Household   
  
"Dom! What the fuck do you want me to do about it?!" China was yelling when Mia went outside to tell them it was time to eat.  
  
"I don't know Rainy! How about you get rid of them?" Dom shouted throwing a wrench he had in his hand towards the garage. China jumped.  
  
"Dom! I'm not getting rid of my tattoos! You're crazy if I'm going to get rid them! Oh and by the way, I can't just get rid of them! It costs money! Money that I don't have and neither do you!" China said almost ready to cry. "Why is it that you find somehow to make me want to cry? And that's not even one of the reasons why I left!" China said turning around fast before Dom could see her crying. Mia was smart to sneak back into the house before the two saw her.  
  
"Shit. China, I'm sorry. C'mon, don't cry. China, I'm sorry baby sister. I just never thought that you'd get tattoos." Dom said hugging China from behind.  
  
"Dom, it's just that I never got to do anything. You, Mia and everyone else always ignored me after the races. I never got to go to the races, and my friends and me were always stuck in the god-forsaken kitchen cause I wasn't allowed to go outside, on the front porch or the backyard cause you were too worried that my friends would make a move. Dom, you never used to do that with Mia. Why'd you do it to me? Why Dom?" China pleaded sitting on the picnic table.  
  
"Because, I wanted to make sure you didn't get involved in what I did, rather what I do." Dom said sitting next to her.  
  
"Why wouldn't you let me be a part of that? You let Mia. But what about me? Dom, didn't you even think, for one minute, that you were hurting my feelings in keeping me out of the loop? Wait, let me guess, you thought about it, you just didn't care." China said looking towards the garage, the door was open. "Uh, Dom, what happened to the Charger that you and dad built while I was growing up?" China asked curiously.  
  
"Um, O'Conner and me went down to my old drag racing place. Right after the tracks, a semi pulled off a side street and I didn't have time to stop so, uh, um." Dom said trailing off.  
  
"Don't tell me. Dom, please don't tell me that you destroyed it." China said pleadingly.  
  
"I did." Was all Dom said when Letty poked her head out the backdoor.  
  
"Come on you two! Dinner's getting cold and Mia's bout ready to blow up! So get your asses in this fucking house and eat. V is about to go coyote on us in here. And Emerald is getting really hungry." Letty yelled before she disappeared back into the house.  
  
"Guess we better get in there before V decides to eat all of the goddamn food." Dom said getting off the picnic table.  
  
"Yea, guess we better." China said as she climbed on Dom's back as if she was a little girl again.  
  
Inside   
  
"Well, guess who decided to grace us with their presence." Leon said as China and Dom sat down at the table.  
  
"Shut your damn mouth Leon before I give you a broken nose." China said sitting in between Emerald and Letty.  
  
"I am not scared of you C." Leon said going back to his food.  
  
"Well you should." China said waiting for everyone to get his or her food and helping Emerald get hers.  
  
In The Living room   
  
Everyone walked to the living room after eating and cleaning up the dinner stuff.  
  
"China, this is my boyfriend Brian." Mia said as a guy walked into the living room.  
  
"The guy you told me about in your last letter?" China said from her spot on the floor playing PS2 with Jesse, Vince, and Letty. "The one that broke your heart or something after all the fucking semi heists you guys pulled off while I was gone, right?" China asked still playing PS2 on the floor. Everyone but Dom, Mia and Brian, laughed.  
  
"Not funny, and how do you...?" Mia said trailing off. "Mean, I never told you about the heists." Mia said sitting on the couch next to Brian.  
  
"Didn't have to. Ever wonder where Letty and Leon disappeared to after they booked L.A for a few months?" China said handing the controller over to Letty and standing up.  
  
"Yea." Dom said watching China closely.  
  
"We sort of took them in for a few months. They didn't go to Mexico, Dom. They came to our house." China said heading over to Trick where Emerald lay asleep in his arms. "I'll take her upstairs to my old room. I do have my old room still, right?" China asked taking Emerald from Trick.  
  
"Yea, of course you do. We didn't want to get rid of your stuff in case you came back." Vince said handing his controller to Jesse.  
  
"Thanks V." China said walking up the stairs with Trick, Denver, and Angel right behind her. Plus some of her old friends, Chris, Niki, Brian, Adam, Jesse (Lane), Scott, and Joe.  
  
China's Room   
  
China's POV   
  
"Welcome to my old room." I said as I opened the door to my bedroom. I was shocked when I opened my bedroom door. My old bedroom furniture was gone and the furniture from my room at Trick's place was there. All my stuff from Trick's house was there, even my computer. "Letty and Leon." Was all I said as I put Emerald on my bed.  
  
"It looks really nice." Chris said as we walked back downstairs.  
  
Downstairs   
  
After party   
  
"But, I don't get it. How did they get my stuff? It was all there when we left the house. How'd it get here before us?" I was asking when people started to come into the house. "Dom!!!" I was yelling over the music. I growled when Brian and Mia walked in the door. "Where the fuck is Dom?!" I screamed at them.  
  
"He- He's not back yet." Mia said backing away from me.  
  
"I'm going to go find him. I want all these people to get the fuck out of here! Emerald's sleeping!" I screamed before walking out the door with my keys in hand.  
  
Brian's POV   
  
Rainy - Girl was pretty pissed off when the music started to blast from the stereo. She took off to find Dom. Emerald woke up about an hour ago cause of the music. Trick, China's friend, was pissed that Emerald woke up because of the music.  
  
"It's been three fucking hours! Where the fuck are they?!" Vince yelled over the music. The people still hadn't left the house. Wonder how Rainy - Girl is going to react to this.  
  
"I don't know." Mia said from her spot on Brian's lap on the couch.  
  
"That should be them, or her, now." Trick, Denver, Angel, and Emerald said from their places around the living room.  
  
"How do you know?" Leon asked from his spot in front of the couch.  
  
"We all worked on it, that's how." Emerald said running for the door. "Daddy! Mama and Dom are outside yelling at each other!" Emerald had to yell cause of the music.  
  
"Oh shit!!!" people said running for the door. I didn't move from my spot until I heard Chris, Niki, Scott, and Jesse (Lane) yell for me.  
  
China's POV   
  
"Damn you Dominic Toretto! You don't have to be all "big bro" now! You had your fucking chance while I was growing up! But, no! You were way too busy with your own fucking life to even care! Mami and Papi cared more than you and Mia put together after they died! You didn't care about my feelings Dom! All you cared about was how well I did in school! I did better than you for your information! I went to school in Dallas! I finished school but I didn't enroll in a college! What the fuck more do you want from me Dom?!" I screamed at Dom after we got out of my car.  
  
"What the fuck?! China, all you had to do was tell them all to leave! It isn't really rocket science! China, I've always cared about you! I thought about you every fucking day at Lompoc! Mami and Papi sent letters and pictures of you and Mia! It killed me that I wasn't here for you! It killed me!" Dom yelled, taking a step closer towards me. "I did care about your feelings! Me and Mia both did! You! You're the one who chose not to tell us anything! You told me, the one whom you were closer to than anyone else jack shit!  
  
"That's cause you never listened to a fucking word I said! Every time I tried to tell you something you always fucking ignored me! You either shrugged me off, ignored me, or told me to get back to work and not to bother you! You want to know how that felt?" I yelled back, taking two steps towards him.  
  
"Yea! Come to think of it, I do want to know!" Dom said closing the distance only to come face to face with my right fist. (he he)  
  
"There Dom! That's how it felt you fucking bastard! I can't believe I came back! I don't even know why I thought I could come back home to my family, no less, just get put down!" I said pushing past Dom, getting into my car, peeling out of the driveway and speeding down the street.  
  
I just needed some time to rethink coming back to LA. I just drove. I didn't care where until Johnny Tran's wolf pack pulled up alongside of me.  
  
"Shiiit! I'm in the wrong fucking part of town. Dom is so going to fucking kill me when I get back. Plus, it's going to be one long-ass mother - fucking night." I said to myself following Johnny Tran's group. I put my car in park, got out, and stood waiting for Johnny to get his sorry-ass off his bike. He always did take his sweet fucking time getting off of that bike of his. Maybe it's time to do some hijacking of my own. I thought gleefully. I chuckled slightly.  
  
"Well, well, well. If it isn't Dominic Toretto's runaway of a sister." Tran smirked at me.  
  
"Tran, shut your mother-fucking mouth! You don't know jack shit about why I left town." I said as I leaned against my car.  
  
"Hmmm...how much you think we could get for this car Lance?" Johnny asked his cousin.  
  
"Enough to make our cars work again." Was all he said, not taking his eyes off me.  
  
"Back off Johnny. You aren't ever touching my car! I put way too much time, not to mention, way too much money into my car for you to take it away from me!" I yelled at him standing up straight. He took a few steps towards me. I growled, but he kept taking steps towards me, I didn't flinch when he touched my arm. I growled instead. He slapped me and I gave him a broken nose.  
  
"You little bitch!" He yelled and that's all I remember up to that point, cause he hit me and hard. 


	4. chapter 4

Chapter 4 China in the Hospital/Dom and Johnny's Heart to Heart  
  
In the Morning   
  
They were getting ready to head to work when the phone rang and Jesse answered the phone.  
  
"Dom! Phone! It's the hospital!" Jesse yelled from the living room.  
  
"Dominic Toretto speaking." Dom said when he picked up the phone.  
  
"Mr. Toretto, do you have a sister by the name of China Toretto?" the doctor said on the other end.  
  
"Yes, yes I do. Is she alright?" Dom asked getting worried.  
  
"She's fine. She's been asking for you and her friends. Could you come to L.A Memorial?" the doctor asked.  
  
"Yes, yes of course we can. We'll be there as soon as we can." Dom said before hanging up the phone. "Guys, there's been a change of plans! We're going to the hospital, we'll open the garage up later. But right now, China's in the hospital! Let's go!" Dom said heading out the door and to his car.  
  
L.A Memorial   
  
"Whoa, Dom. Dom?" Chris asked walking instep next to Dom.  
  
"What?" he growled.  
  
"Why is Angel (China) in here?" Chris asked tentatively.  
  
"I don't know Chris. I don't know but I'm gunner find out." Dom said heading for the nurse's station. "What room is China Toretto in?" he asked.  
  
"She's in room...14, down the hall and last door on your left." The nurse said pointing down a hallway.  
  
"Thank you ma'am." Dom said as we made our way down the hall. "Here we are. Who wants to go in first?" Dom asked looking around at our faces.  
  
"You go Dom." Chris said looking through the window at China. A number of "yeas" were heard.  
  
"Alright, I'll go." Dom said walking to the door and going inside.  
  
Dom's POV   
  
I walked into China's hospital room and stopped dead in my tracks when I saw her face. She was pissed more than hurt if anything. On the left side of her face, a bruise was starting to form.  
  
"Baby sister, what happened?" I asked sitting in the chair next to her bed.  
  
"Johnny Tran. Dom, I'm sorry for getting all up in your face last night. I just needed a drive to clear my head and calm down before I went back to the house. I wasn't paying attention to the area. I didn't know where I was until it was too late." China said with tears welling up in her eyes.  
  
"I'm going to kill him," I said and she smiled. "for what he did to you. I promise."  
  
"Dom, my car is at the police impound. I need my car back Dom. Please?" She said the smile fading.  
  
"All right baby sister. But, I'm still going to kick his ass for what he did." I said standing up.  
  
"Don't do anything stupid Dom. And do me a favor, don't kill anyone." She said as I walked toward the door.  
  
"All right baby sister. You want to see Chris?" I asked her, knowing full well that she used to have a crush on him. She smiled and nodded and with that I walked out of the door and Chris walked in.  
  
Chris's POV   
  
I walked into China's hospital room. I was prepared for the worst. When I saw her lying there with her left broken arm and a bruise beginning to form on her left cheek, I began to get extremely pissed off. Mean, no one has ever gone as far as to hurt her. Why did Johnny? I thought wonderingly as I walked up beside her hospital bed.  
  
"It isn't as bad as it looks. It isn't bad at all. So don't look as if I'm in major ass pain right now," China said with a smile on her face. "Cause I am not."  
  
I chuckled. "I wasn't even thinking that C." I said sitting in the chair next to the bed. "How you holding up? Dom and everyone else went to go get your car and have a talk with Johnny Tran's family about what he did to you." I said taking her right hand.  
  
"That's worse than killing him." She said laughing slightly.  
  
"Yea I guess it is." I said laughing myself, just as the doctor came into the room.  
  
"Ms. Toretto, you can go home first thing in the morning, we'd like to keep you for observation." The doctor said.  
  
"What type of "observation"?" China asked using her fingers for quotations around 'observation'.  
  
"Um...oops! Sorry Ms. Toretto. Wrong file. Your file says that you can go home whenever you want, as long as you have a ride." The doctor said pointedly, looking at her clipboard.  
  
"Alright Doc. Chris, go call Dom's cell phone and tell him that you're going to be taking me home while I get dressed." She said sitting on the edge of the bed.  
  
"Okay. See you in a bit." I said as the doctor and I walked out of the room so that she could get dressed in private and I could call Dom. When I was out of the hospital, I dialed Dom's cell phone.  
  
"Dom here." Dom said when he finally answered his phone.  
  
"Dom, its Chris. China can get out right now as long as she has ride. So, we'll meet you guys back at the house later. Hope it's okay." I said heading for the hospital door.  
  
"Yea, alright. See you back at the house." Dom said before we hung up our phones.  
  
"C?" I asked walking back into China's hospital room. I didn't see a soul in the room. China's clothes that she had arrived in were gone. I was getting scared that something awful had happened to her, when she walked through the door. I sighed in relief as she sat on the bed. "Where'd you go?" I asked laughing slightly at the smile on her face.  
  
"Shower." She said simply. We laughed as she put her shoes on.  
  
China's POV   
  
When I walked back into the room Chris seemed to be...scared. Don't know why he was so fucking scared though. I just went to take a shower. I was tempted to ask him why he was scared. But I thought better of it. I had a smile on my face cause it was hilarious. I never had anyone get scared cause I wasn't in a room, well, Emerald doesn't count since she's like five. Chris, well, he looked genuinely worried about me. Man, I'm still crushing on that boy after two and a half years of being gone. I thought as I looked at him from my spot on the hospital bed.  
  
"Where'd you go?" he asked laughing slightly cause I was smiling. God, his voice was awesome, I thought.  
  
"Shower." I said simply. chuckle We laughed as I put my shoes on.  
  
"Ready to go?" Chris asked when I finished.  
  
"Yea. What time did Dom say he was going to be back at the house?" I asked as we got in his car.  
  
"He didn't say. All he said was that he'd see us back at the house." Chris said as we pulled onto the main road.  
  
"Head for the beach Chris." I said without thinking about Dom's reaction. To tell the truth, I really didn't care about Dom's reaction.  
  
"Um...alright." Chris said as he headed for the beach.  
  
At the Beach   
  
Chris had laid out a blanket for us to sit on. I took my sling off cause it was getting annoying, so I was just in my cast, which by the way is waterproof.  
  
"Chris, did you know that I used to have a crush on you the years before I left? Even though you were like three years older than me." I asked looking out over the ocean.  
  
"Yea...the same goes for me. But, I'm still crushing on you girl." Chris said sitting next to me in order to see the sunset.  
  
"I'm still crushing on you too boy." I said leaning against him cause it was what I was used to doing before I left. "It's a beautiful sunset."  
  
"Not as beautiful as you." Chris said leaning his head on mine, just like old times.  
  
I heard car engines and my head snapped up. The cars passed and didn't stop. I went back to leaning against Chris.  
  
"Sorry if I hurt you when my head snapped up without warning." I said looking back out over the ocean.  
  
"Na, its alright. Heard the car engines didn't you?" Chris said watching the sunset. He went on after seeing me nod, "Dom and everyone else hardly ever come here anymore. Well, mean, since you left cause whenever you weren't working or worrying about the races. You were always here, with me and all of our friends. We used to go swimming and surfing here, on this beach." Chris said, I started to cry cause I missed those days. "Awwww...what's wrong?" Chris asked seeing that I was crying.  
  
"I miss those days Chris. I want them back. I want those days back, Chris." I said still crying.  
  
"Want to go home?" He asked standing up. I nodded and he helped me to my feet. 


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 Chris and China Get Together/Letty has a Surprise  
  
No One's POV   
  
When China and Chris got home Letty and Dom were the only ones awake. And Dom wasn't too happy that they were getting back as late as they were.  
  
"Chris! I trusted you to get her home safely!" Dom yelled at Chris as soon as they walked into the living room.  
  
"Dom! I wanted to go to the beach! So don't blame it on Chris. He was only doing what I asked him to do. So, if you're going to blame someone, then blame it on me." China said taking up for her friend. Dom calmed down, but only a little bit.  
  
"Dom, look I'm sorry. I was bringing her back home when she asked me to take her to the beach. You should know me well enough by now to know that I wouldn't let anything happen to either Mia or China or even Letty, for that matter. I wouldn't let anyone hurt your girls, Dom. When are you going to learn to trust me?" Chris said sitting on the stairs.  
  
"I know you won't let anything happen to my girls. When am I going to trust you?! Never boy, never if you're going to be with China!" Dom yelled.  
  
"Dom! Stop yelling before you wake everybody up." Letty said sternly. "Come in here. Now, all of you." Letty said walking back into the living room. The three of them, grumbling and mumbling, followed her. "I have something to tell you. I wasn't going to tell anyone until I thought everyone was ready to hear this." Letty said hesitating.  
  
"Tell us what, Let?" China asked sitting between Chris and Letty with Dom on Letty's other side.  
  
Letty's POV   
  
I took a deep breathe cause these were the people to whom I was closest to.  
  
"I - I'm pregnant." I had closed my eyes and couldn't see their shocked faces.  
  
"What the fuck?!" that sounded like China. "Dom! Did you know?!" China yelled at Dom. When I opened my eyes and looked around and saw that Chris had disappeared, Dom was sitting next to me stunned with shock. "C'mon, Dom. Did you know about this?" China asked again, this time calmer than before.  
  
"No. No, I didn't know about this. How long have you known?" Dom asked turning his eyes on me.  
  
"Three months now." I said looking down at the floor. I was expecting Dom to yell why I kept this from him...and all that good stuff. But he didn't yell at me, for that I was relieved.  
  
"I'm going to go to bed and let you two talk. Since that's what you both seem to want to do now." China said as she went upstairs to her room.  
  
"I don't want to know what's going on between China and Chris." Dom said shaking his head. Then turning to me. "Why didn't you tell me when you found out?" He asked hurt in his eyes.  
  
"I don't know Dom. I guess I felt that you weren't ready to know. Mean, I was still trying to figure out what to do and I vowed to myself that I wouldn't tell you or the others until I figured it out." I said looking Dom in the eyes. We talked about everything, bout names, where to put the baby, what to do about racing and all that good stuff.  
  
China's Room   
  
China's POV   
  
"Wow. That was just... weird. You know what I mean? Mean, how could Let just land that on us? By us I mean Dom and me. It's been what? Almost three years since the last time I've seen the team, the crew. Mean, I just skipped town without saying a word to the crew, not mention the team! God! How could I have just walked out on everyone who was close to me. How could I have just ran away as if I just didn't care? How could I have just ran to Dallas? How could I?" I said bursting into to tears in Chris's arms.  
  
"Shhhh...It's alright Angel. It's alright." Chris said trying to calm me down without much success.  
  
"Why don't you go home and get some sleep Chris, I'll see what I can do." Mia said from the door.  
  
"Alright." Chris said heading for the door. He stopped just outside the doorway and said, " Mia, don't tell her or anybody else, 'specially Dom cause he might kill me, but...I really like her. I've liked her for a very long time. Um...Better get going before Dom decides to kill me before I can get out of the house. Bye Mia, see you at work tomorrow." Chris then disappeared down the hall and out of the house.  
  
Mia sighed and sat next to me on my bed.  
  
Mia's POV   
  
I sighed and sat next to China on her bed and just held her until she stopped crying hysterically.  
  
"Baby sister, what's wrong?" I asked in hopes of trying to find out what was going on.  
  
"Do you think it was selfish of me to run away?" She asked meekly looking away.  
  
"No. You were feeling like you were being suffocated cause of Dom and other things that were happening back then." I said trying to calm her down.  
  
"Yea but mean, I left when Dom was starting to lighten up with shit. My friends are out having fun while I'm here spending time with my family and my crew while they're out racing in the valley and having the time of their lives." She said feeling really depressed.  
  
"No, I don't think they are. I think they're downstairs with Dom and Letty." I said hoping to cheer her up.  
  
"I think I hear Skylar and Tyler." She said getting off the bed and heading for the door. "Oh no!" And then she took off down the hall and down the stairs.  
  
Living Room   
  
Dom's POV   
  
Chris just left after me and Let finished talking about having the baby and going about telling the others who don't know about it, when C's friends from Dallas and two other people walk through the door.  
  
"Dom. Letty. We just stopped to tell Rain, I mean, China that we're going to head up to the Valley for a little while and wanted to see if she wanted to come along." Trick said walking to the bottom of the stairs to call for C.  
  
"Don't think so buddy boy." I said sternly.  
  
"Why not?" Little Emerald said from her spot by a guy's side.  
  
"Cause little one, China is my baby sister and I'd rather die than see her go to the Valley. The Valley is a dangerous place to be at night. 'Specially for a five-year-old girl." I said pointedly.  
  
"That can be arranged!" Trick yelled. At that moment China appeared, running down the stairs and stopped short of running into Trick.  
  
"What the fuck is wrong wit you two?!" China screamed forgetting about her previous problem, when she stopped next to Trick.  
  
"Whoa! What the hell is up with you girl?" Letty asked from behind me.  
  
"Dom is doing exactly what made me leave in the fucking first place." China said bending to pick up Emerald who had walked over for some attention.  
  
"That hurt C." I said pain in my eyes.  
  
"Sorry, but it's the damn truth. Dom, I'm 18 now. I can hold my own. I proved that after I left two and a half years ago. I held my own big brother. Now, what's all this about the Valley?" China said turning her attention to her friends, noticing the two new arrivals for the first time. "Oh. My. God. Sky! Ty!" China set Emerald down before running over to her two best friends. She hugged each of them in turn. "What are you two doing here?" China asked her friends.  
  
It's a relief to have her happy, specially after that fucker killed dad, mom dying not soon after, me going to Lompoc for two years leaving Mia and China with Letty and Vince. I'd rather die than go back. I thought as I watched them.  
  
"C'mon Letty, I feel like giving you a massage tonight." I said putting my arm around Letty's shoulders.  
  
"A real massage bro, I might not have been here for two and a half years, but I do know what you two do when she says 'massage'. And don't forget, me, you, Chris, and her are the only ones who know about her," China said looking warily at her friends, "condition." She said to me before we passed her to go upstairs.  
  
"I know C, and a 'real' massage is what I meant." I said shaking my head at her.  
  
"Night Letty, night Dom." China said before we disappeared into our room. 


	6. chapter 6

Chapter 6 The Valley (part 1)/Emeralds Story is Told  
  
China's POV   
  
After I said goodnight to Dom and Letty, me and my friends went into the kitchen to talk.  
  
"Beer anyone?" I asked opening the fridge to find an assortment of Coronas and Snapples and other beverages.  
  
"Emerald can use something to drink. Water or a fruit drink or a non- alcoholic beverage." Angel said sitting next to Trick with Emerald on her lap.  
  
I handed her a Snapple and a small glass for Emerald. I handed everyone else a Corona, including Angel and taking a Corona for myself.  
  
" sigh Looks like I got to go buy more beer for Dom." I said sitting on Ty's lap. No more chairs!   
  
"We were thinking of going to see Dom and Nic in the Valley either tonight or sometime tomorrow." Trick said taking a swig of his Corona.  
  
"Can we go tomorrow? Cause I want to head back to the hotel and get my stuff." I said finishing off my Corona. Ty wrapped his arms around my waist.  
  
"That should be cool. I'll give them a call in the morning. But for now, we're going to head back to the hotel and get some sleep." Trick said finishing his Corona and standing up.  
  
Sigh I left with everyone else just in my own car cause I was going to come back. I got my stuff out of my hotel room and headed home. I saw the living room lights on and I wondered who was up at two in the morning. I pulled into the driveway and Vince, Leon, Jesse, and Dom all came out on the porch. I gulped down the lump in my throat cause I knew this routine all too well for my liking.  
  
" gulp Dom, guys. Uh...what's going on?" I asked getting out of my car and getting my duffel bag out of the trunk.  
  
"Where'd you go?" Jesse asked before Dom could have the chance to go off on me.  
  
"Went to the hotel to get some of my stuff. Why? Where'd you think I went?" I said staring Dom in the eyes. I knew he thought I went to the Valley with Trick and the rest of my friends.  
  
"I thought you and your friends were going to the Valley tonight." Dom said simply. The four of them were blocking my way to the door.  
  
"No, we're going sometime tomorrow. Dom, before you go off on me, me and my friends have a couple people who ran from a whole shit load of shit in Dallas. They called us from somewhere in the Valley. Figured they stopped running." I said pushing past Dom and Leon. I went to the kitchen first and cleaned up me and my friends' mess and then headed up the stairs. I didn't notice Dom or the guys when they followed me in the house. I didn't say a word to Mia or Letty when I passed them on my way to my room. Dom and the guys stopped when they reached Mia and Letty.  
  
Dom's POV   
  
I gave Letty a massage and she fell asleep after about 10 minutes. I watched her for a couple minutes then went to see if China was in bed yet. When I checked in her room, she wasn't there. I heard her and her friends in the kitchen talking. I crept down the downs so they wouldn't hear me.  
  
"...Cause I want to head back to the hotel and get my stuff." I heard China say. I started to wonder as I crept silently into the dark living room. I watched as they all left and waited until I couldn't hear their tires anymore. I then went and woke up Vince, Leon and Jesse. I knew I shouldn't have awakened Jesse, but he helps to keep me calm in the worst of situations. I needed the three of them before I went crazy.  
  
An hour later I heard China's tires and the four of us went out on the porch to meet her.  
  
" gulp Dom, guys. Uh...what's going on?" she asked getting out of her car and getting her duffel bag out of the trunk.  
  
"Where'd you go?" Jesse asked before I could have the chance to go off on her.  
  
"Went to the hotel to get some of my stuff. Why? Where'd you think I went?" she said staring me in the eyes.  
  
"I thought you and your friends were going to the Valley tonight." I said simply. The four of us were blocking her way to the door.  
  
"No, we're going sometime tomorrow. Dom, before you go off on me, me and my friends have a couple people who ran from a whole shit load of shit in Dallas. They called us from somewhere in the Valley. Figured they stopped running." she said pushing past me and Leon. She went to the kitchen first and cleaned up her and her friends' mess and then headed up the stairs. She didn't notice me or the guys when we followed her in the house. She didn't say a word to Mia or Letty when she passed them on her way to her room. Me and the guys stopped when we reached Mia and Letty.  
  
"What's up with her?" Letty asked sleepily.  
  
"We wake you two up?" Leon asked with a slight smirk on his face.  
  
"Make that the three of us Leon." Brian O'Conner said walking up behind Mia. Vince and Jesse chuckled.  
  
"Sorry." Dom said leaning against the wall behind Letty.  
  
"What's wrong babe?" Letty asked turning to face him.  
  
"I think it's the fact of China being all grown up." Vince said teasingly, smiling all the while.  
  
Jesse's POV   
  
Dom didn't look too happy with China when she got home from the hotel tonight. He looked downright pissed to me.  
  
"I'm...going to go see if she's okay. I'll be back in a couple minutes if she don't want to talk to anyone." I said heading for China's room.  
  
I knocked on China's door. No answer. Knocked again. Still no answer.  
  
"China?" I asked tentatively opening her door. She was lying across the foot of her bed looking at something. I walked over to her and laid down next to her across her bed.  
  
"You know, coming back here, coming back home. I think it's the biggest mistake of my life, coming back here I mean. I knew that all of you wouldn't accept my friends unless they proved themselves to all of you. There are only two girls and one little girl who lost her mother at birth on the team I'm now on. She's only about five years old. She looks up to me. I mean, she looks at me like I'm her mother. Trick is her father, her real father. Mean, when I stopped at Dallas, I thought I was going to keep going and then I got involved in a street race with Trick and then things happened so fast for me from that very moment. Mean, I already had a family but then I got more friends then I can count right now cause of everything that's happened in my life. Papi being killed, Dom going to Lompoc when I was about eight leaving me and Mia with V and Let, the Trans pulling shit with us, Dom scaring off my friends every time they hung around after school at the garage." China said, finally taking a break to sigh.  
  
"You want to talk to Dom about this? Mean I can listen all you want me to cause I've missed you sissy girl." I said. I noticed a little too late that I called her 'sissy girl'.  
  
She growled and just about slapped me off the bed. Her eyes got big and tears started to well up in them. "OH! Jesse! I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to-I didn't mean to slap you." China said before she started to cry silent tears.  
  
"China. Don't cry, c'mon I didn't mean anything by it. I-I was just..." I said my ADD kicking in.  
  
"Kidding?" China said with the shadow of her great but beautiful smile that could cause anyone and everyone to smile or laugh.  
  
"Yea." Was all I could say in answer. I did a mental sigh but didn't say anything.  
  
"I just couldn't take anymore of Dom's bullshit and neither could my friends. Figured Dom would stop pushing them further and further away from me after school and shit like that. Just wish that Dom had changed before I left two and a half years ago. Then maybe...nah, I take that back. I'd probably be dead right about now." She must've realized what she said. She looked shocked and looked as if she was about to cry again. "Jess, I didn't mean it the way it sounded." China said as tears once again started to make silent trails down her cheeks.  
  
"It's okay. For the record, I won't tell Dom." I said knowing full well that Dom would throw a fucking fit if he found out what his "Baby" said to me. He'd probably kill her himself, if he had the chance.  
  
China's POV   
  
Next Day   
  
I was downstairs in the kitchen waiting for everyone to wake up. The rest of 'Team Scorpions' was going to stop by at around one or so, so that we could go to the Valley and see Dom and Nic, just got to find a way to not let Dom and everyone else find out. They'll flip.  
  
" sigh God, wish my life wasn't so fucking fucked up. Then maybe I'd be able to be happy. No matter what the fucking consequences are." I said getting up and putting my empty Snapple bottle in the trash. "No matter what the fucking consequences." I said again before going out the backdoor only to find Dom, Leon and Vince outside. The three stopped dead in their tracks.  
  
"C." was all that Dom said.  
  
"I-I didn't know anyone else wa-was awake." I said, my voice shaking. Come to realize that my voice wasn't the only part of me that was shaking. My whole body started to shake. "Shiiiiit!" I screamed as I fell down the back porch steps.  
  
"China!" Dom, Leon and Vince said running for me.  
  
"No! Dom, Leon, Vince. STOP!" I yelled causing them to stop dead in their tracks just a couple steps away from me.  
  
"China, please, let us help." Dom said taking a step towards me.  
  
"Don't Dom. I don't need your help. Not right now at least." I said getting shakily to my feet. "It'll stop soon. I hope." I said the last part under my breath as I turned to go back into the house. The three of them followed me.  
  
"China." Letty said when I walked in the kitchen with Dom, Leon and Vince trailing behind.  
  
"Letty." I said walking past her and to the fridge to get a Corona. Dom just stared. "What? It helps with the shakes." I shrugged it off and walked to the front porch.  
  
No One's POV   
  
Jesse walked into the kitchen as China was walking out of it.  
  
"What'd you find out?" Dom asked Jesse when the front door slammed.  
  
"Almost everything came up on all of them. Including China." Jesse said sifting through the stack of papers in his hands.  
  
Everyone looked shocked at hearing China's name. Dom was the first one to recover.  
  
"What came up?" Dom asked.  
  
"Trick's real name is Ronald Dean O'Conner. He was like the ring leader back in Dallas. His crime record is this: 2 years in JuV for boosting cars repeatedly when he was 16 and 9 months of community service for beating the living hell out of a dude who killed his fiancé 2 ½ years after their daughter was born." Jesse said looking at Trick's background check.  
  
"What's the daughter's name?" Vince asked looking through the front window.  
  
"Emerald Maeve O'Conner." Jesse said looking at her record. "She's only 5 ½ so that would mean there's nothing on her.  
  
"What about everyone else?" Dom asked from his seat next to Jesse.  
  
"They're all clean. Every single one of them." Jesse said shocking everyone in the room.  
  
"What else would you expect?" China said making them all jump.  
  
"China, how long have you been standing there and how much have you heard." Dom said his eyes showing the first embers of a fire about to roar to life.  
  
"I've been standing there since I heard you say "What'd you find out" and so that would mean I heard the whole damn conversation." China said walking into the kitchen and throwing her beer bottle away. "Oh, the reason why you can't find anything on everyone else, including me other than what you already know about me, is the fact that I now know how to hack into police records and all that good shit. So, with that said, I'm going to go get changed, grab some cash and my keys and I'm gone." China said heading for the stairs before Dom got up and all but ran after her.  
  
"Where the fuck are you going?!" Dom yelled at China before she disappeared down the hall to her room.  
  
"My business not yours big brother!" China screamed and walked the rest of the way to her room.  
  
"CHINA!! I am not done talking to you!!" Dom said running up the stairs two at a time and stopping at her bedroom door.  
  
"Well I'm done talking to your fucking ass!" China yelled through the door as she got ready to leave.  
  
To Be Continued. sorry for the cliffhanger but..that's all I can think of for this chapter.. 


	7. chapter 7

Chapter 7 The Valley (part 2)/Meeting Dom and Nic  
  
No One's POV   
  
Three Hours after Dom ran out of the Kitchen   
  
"CHINA!!" Dom yelled through her bedroom door.  
  
"GO AWAY!!" She screamed in response.  
  
"Where the fuck are you going?" Dom asked through the door while leaning against the opposite wall.  
  
"None of your goddamn business Dom. Now drop it alright." China said walking out of her room, down the hall, down the stairs and out of the front door and to her car just as Trick and her friends arrived.  
  
Outside   
  
"Damn girl. It took you almost five hours to get ready?" Trick asked stepping out of his car to talk to her.  
  
"No. It took almost three cause of Dom. He wouldn't stop grilling me about where the fuck I'm going. Told him it was none of his goddamn business where the fuck I'm going. SO, can we go before he comes outside and starts grilling someone else out here?" China said getting in her car.  
  
"MAMA! MAMA! I want to ride wit you. Please?" Emerald yelled running for China's car.  
  
"Yea sure. Get in your seat." China said as Emerald got in the car and in her car seat. China buckled her in and got in her car herself.  
  
Two-way  
  
"Where in the Valley are we going Trick?" China asked. They were on their way to The Valley to see Dom and Nic.  
  
"Downtown I believe." Trick said over the two-ways.  
  
A series of responses were sounded over the two-ways.  
  
Toretto's Household   
  
"Where the hell are they going?" Brian asked as China and her team took off and China's old group of friends started to show up.  
  
Dom didn't seem too happy about the answer he was about to give his sister's boyfriend. "They're going to the Valley." Was all that Dom said and went up to his room to get ready for work.  
  
"Where's China at?" Niki asked walking into the house with everyone else with her trailing behind.  
  
"Valley." Came the grim reply from everyone in the kitchen all at once. Niki, Adam, Chris, Joe, Jesse (Lane), Brian (Wagner) and Scott all looked at each other, apparently confused.  
  
"Valley? She wouldn't be going to 'The' Valley, would she?" Brian (Wagner) asked. Six nods and 'yeas' went around the table. The seven friends glanced confusedly at each other.  
  
"Why?" Niki asked grabbing a Corona out of the fridge.  
  
"Went to see some friends. Who were in deep ass shit with the law a year and a half back when the two 'friends' were still with the team who call themselves 'The Scorpions' when they were still in Dallas." Jesse reported.  
  
"Awww! Fuck that shit man!" Scott said heading for the front porch.  
  
"Scott! C'mon man!" Jesse (Lane) said going after him. a/n: no m/m in any of my stories! "Scott? What's up man?" Jesse (Lane) asked walking out on the front porch.  
  
"What." Scott snapped in response from Jesse's left when he stepped out on the porch.  
  
"What's wrong man?" Jesse repeated leaning against the wall of the house.  
  
"We're never going to get the old China back, man. Mean, she came back but she came back different somehow y'know?" Scott asked sitting on the side of the porch.  
  
"Yea man, I know. We'll all have a talk with her when she gets back later on tonight. Okay?" Jesse asked putting his hand on his friend's shoulder. Scott grunted a response. "Let's go back inside man." Jesse said heading back inside with Scott in tow.  
  
"...yea, but what are we going to do about Rain? How are we going to get her to stay with us instead of going for a place with her new friends?" Chris asked as Jesse and Scott walked into the living room.  
  
5 Hours Later   
  
"Dominic! Nicholas! Don't you fucking dare!" Everyone in the Toretto house heard China yell.  
  
"Awww! C'mon Rain, don't be like that." A male voice said as many car doors shut simultaneously.  
  
"Man, just let it go Nic." Trick said as he walked through the front door carrying a sleeping Emerald. Laughter erupted outside.  
  
Dom stood glaring at Trick and everyone else pouring through the front door. China was the last one in the door. When she saw the look on Dom's face she stopped short.  
  
"Why don't you guys go with Trick up to my room. He knows the way. I'll be up there soon." China said hesitantly not taking her eyes away from Dom. Her friends trooped up the stairs and when her door slammed shut China tensed. Which Dom noticed.  
  
"Why you tense?" Dom asked sounding pissed.  
  
"Fuck you." China said in response.  
  
"Why'd you go to the Valley? Specially after I specifically told you not to." Dom said sternly.  
  
"I went cause I had friends there Dom. I went there cause I had made a promise to those friends and I keep the promises I make unlike someone else who is my older fucking brother!" China screamed all up in Dom's face. The rest of the DT team stood dumbfounded and shocked stiff. Dom looked as if he'd been soccer punched in his face.  
  
"Why? How?..." Dom asked shocked senseless.  
  
"Why?! Dom! Do you even remember the promise you made to Mami before she died?!" China screamed not caring whether or not she woke up Emerald. Dom just shook his head 'no'. "You promised Mami that you'd take care of me and Mia, you promised her that you'd love and care for us, you promised her that you wouldn't push me or Mia away! But Dom, you kept two-thirds of that promise! You pushed me away with your overprotectiveness!" She screamed again.  
  
Everyone just stared at her dumbfounded cause they have never known China to speak like this to anyone, not even Dom.  
  
"sigh I'm going outside to cool off. Later." China said walking into the kitchen, out the backdoor and walking over to the picnic table.  
  
Back Inside   
  
Chris and the rest of China's old friends were the first to recover from the shock cause they all knew that China would've done that way before now if she hadn't left town.  
  
"We'll go see if she's alright." Chris said walking out of the backdoor with Niki, Adam, Joe, Jesse (Lane), Brian (Wagner) and Scott.  
  
"You deserved it Dom." Mia said fire burning behind her eyes. "If you hadn't tried so hard to protect her and shit she wouldn't have left and she wouldn't have said all that about you and Mami!" Mia yelled storming up the stairs to her room. Brian went up after her.  
  
"Did I really deserve it?" Dom asked turning to those still in the room with him. No one looked up at him, no one dared to look at him.  
  
Outside   
  
"C?" Chris asked as he and the others walked up to her.  
  
"Hmmm?" she asked staring up at the stars.  
  
"We going to be able to meet your two friends you brought over tonight?" Joe and Niki asked in unison, which caused them all to laugh.  
  
"Yea. C'mon. I best go apologize to Dom. Wait, no, he can apologize to me for all those years before I apologize to him for what I did tonight." China said walking back into the house and up the stairs not even looking at Dom or the people still in the living room.  
  
China's Room   
  
China's POV   
  
As me and my crew made our way to my room, I was beginning to become extremely nervous. I didn't know how they'd all react to Dom and Nic. I sighed, took a deep breath and opened the door to my room.  
  
"Hey fellas! And Ladies." I added as I stepped inside my room with my friends right behind me.  
  
"How's it hanging chica?" Dom asked giving me a hug. "Missed you." He whispered in my ear before he let go.  
  
"Missed you too Dom." I whispered back before he let go. "Guys, I want you to meet my old crew, well they still are my crew but you know what I mean, Scott, Chris, Brian, Jesse, Adam, Niki, and Joe. Guys, meet my new crew, Trick, Angel, Denver, Dom, Nic, Ty, Sky, and the little girl who happens to be sleeping is Emerald." I said pointing to each person in turn. A series of 'hellos' went around the room.  
  
"Rainy-Girl, how you doing chicky-girl?" Nic asked from his spot by my computer. He was the computer whiz or our 'Mad-Scientist' if you will before he got dragged into trouble alongside Dom. And then I took over. Guess all those hours spent with Jesse before I left really paid off. Thank you Jesse. I thought to myself.  
  
"I've been better. But hey can't say the same for you. Were you two planning on telling us where you guys were booking to next?" I asked sitting on the floor in front of Chris who was leaning up against my bed.  
  
"Na not particularly." Nic said sarcastically. "Duh! Yea, we were going to tell you. In fact we're moving in next week and here's the big fucking surprise that I didn't know until yesterday. We're moving in right next door." Nic said sitting with a loud thud on the floor.  
  
"C'mon Dom. You too Nic. sigh You two got to come and meet my brother and everyone else. I got to apologize to Dominic come to think of it anyway." I said getting up from my spot and heading out the door for the stairs. Dom and Nic followed after. I had changed my mind about the whole Dom apologizing first thing.  
  
Back in the Living room   
  
Dom was in the living room sitting on the couch with his head in his hands. I felt really guilty for blowing up at him like I did. It just annoys me that after two and a half years he could still be that overprotective of me. I mean, come on! I'm 18 now...soon to be 19, in like three months but hey who's really counting?(Anyway on with the show.)  
  
"Dom?" I asked entering the living room. He looked up. I cleared my throat. "I'd like you to meet my other two friends. This is Dominic Anderson and Nicholas McGinty, better known as Dom and Nic." I said leaning against the doorframe entering the living room. He didn't say a word, which scared me. 


	8. Author's Note: A Must Read Concerns Futu...

Author's Note:  
  
I'm sorry I haven't posted a chapter in a couple of months..I've been really busy with school, friends, family, stuff wit my boyfriend and a lot of other things. Life ain't easy ya know! Well, I'll post again really soon if I can.be lookin for me!  
  
xangelx 


	9. chapter 8

Second Chances  
  
Chapter 8 ~ Foul Play, or is IT? (a/n: title of chapter  
  
*~*~* Vince's POV *~*~* (Pleading Temporary Insanity)  
  
Well, first off let's just say that Dom looks pretty damn pissed off. First China disappeared for like 5 hours. Then she turns up again with 2 more of her "new" friends. But I'll say this, Dom did deserve the tongue lashing that China gave him for the years past that he's scared away all her friends. Dom and Nic seem really nice. 'Specially to C. Guess she made more and true friends while she was gone.  
  
*~*~* China's POV *~*~*  
  
"Dom! Say something. Please?" I asked getting worried that he'd snap at any moment.  
  
"Hey. China's older brother." Dom said curtly nodding his head at Dominic and Nicholas.  
  
"* Gulp * uh.guys, why don't ya go back upstairs or something." I said glancing over my shoulder at Dom. 'So long as it's not around our battlefield.' I thought grimly.  
  
"Aiight Rainy-girl." Nic said walking up the stairs. Everyone else followed him.  
  
"Dom, what the hell is wrong with you?" I asked, as calmly as I could, while my blood boiled with rage.  
  
"What the hell's wrong with me? HA! That's what I should be asking you." Dom said with the calmness of a cat being forced to move off its fave windowsill. Which scared me.  
  
"Dom! You're nothing but an overprotective big brother that can't even keep himself out of trouble for long without his baby sister there to keep him in line! That's all you are and all you'll ever be to me." I said, flames burning behind my eyes with the boiling of my blood from all the rage wanting to lash out at him.  
  
"It's my job, to be protective of the ones closest to me!" Dom yelled as flames burned behind his eyes as well.  
  
"Yea, sure it's your job to be protective! But NOT overprotective!" I yelled, the flames behind my eyes growing in intensity along with the boiling of my blood from rage. "Your overprotectiveness pushes people away! You! It was you who forced me to leave without saying goodbye to you! I would've said goodbye to Vince, Leon, Jesse, Letty, and Mia. But NOT you!" I screamed the flames turning into blazes of pure fury and hatred. My hands were in tight clenched fists, fists so tight that my forearms began to tremble violently.  
  
Dom's eyes were red from the pure blazes of fury. "I don't even know why I welcomed you back with wide open arms! If this shit -" Dom said b4 I interrupted.  
  
"Truth! Dom it's the truth! The hard faced and a hard fact for someone with a thick skull like yours to swallow! You can't seem to grasp it can you? It was you and no one else who forced me to leave! If I hadn't left I wouldn't be happy! I probably wouldn't even be here yelling and screaming at you! I'd most likely be dead!" I screamed the last word meaning to make it a slap in the face for Dom and a reality check, hopefully.  
  
Dom's head snapped back as if he had been bitch-slapped by some street whore at the races.  
  
"That wasn't fair." Dom said quietly all the fight and anger had left him sober.  
  
"You makin my friends leave the store or the garage every time they came around. Did you really expect me to stay and put up with all your bullshit?" I asked quietly as my blood cooled down.  
  
Dom just looked at me as if I had gone insane or something. "No, I guess I never really expected it from you. I expected it from Mia though but never from you. She has Mami's temper but so do you and I." Dom said opening his arms for a hug.  
  
"The difference between you, me and Mia is that, you and I have Papi and Mami's temper." I said giving Dom a hug.  
  
*~*~* 3 Weeks Later *~*~*  
  
*~*~* Store/Cafe *~*~*  
  
"Emerald! No baby girl. Don't go through that," I said as Emerald walked through the door that leads into the garage. "door." I finished under my breath as I walked as fast as I possibly could after her.  
  
"Em! What are you doin in here?" Trick exclaimed as he picked up his daughter.  
  
"Sorry guys. I tried to stop her." I said laughing and slowing down to a slower paced walk. " You guys hear from Dom and Nic yet?" I asked while watching Emerald interact with the DT team.  
  
"Na girly. Not yet." Sky said from the computer room with Chris and Jesse inside.  
  
"I still haven't figured out how the hell he does that." I said shaking my head from side to side. "And no! Don't you dare say a word Sky!" I yelled over my shoulder as I walked towards Dom's office in the back of the garage.  
  
"Careful C. He ain't in a very happy mood just now." Letty said from under the hood of a Honda Civic she was working on.  
  
"Uh-oh. What crawled up his ass and died this time?" I asked smirking as I walked over to talk to her for a bit.  
  
"Damn girl! Don't ya know that today is the day you disappeared from him and the guys, well cept for Leon of course." Letty said coming out from under the hood with a shocked expression on her face. 


	10. chapter 9

Second Chances  
  
Chapter 9 ~ Unhealed Wounds and Forgotten Scars (nothin to do with da chappy)  
  
*~*~* China's POV *~*~*  
  
Hiya Journal,  
  
Well, some stuff has happened since the last time I wrote. When I say some, I mean a ton of stuff has happened.  
  
Yesterday Letty said something that made me think. Maybe it was a huge mistake to leave home. Maybe I should've stayed but like just moved across town, or something, anything.  
  
I find myself wondering why I even left LA in the first place. I find myself wondering everyday now, why I even left Mami and Papi's spirits behind me and left the only home I've ever known to leave my family and gain a new one.  
  
Dom never believed in me but I think now he does. Now that he's seen me as a grown woman and how mature I've become and how much like him and Papi I've become also. But I seriously doubt that, he never was one to forgive easily.  
  
Well, that's all I can say right now. And now I must leave you journal.  
  
xchinax  
  
I closed my journal and set it in my top bedside table drawer.  
  
* knock * * knock *  
  
"What?" I called when someone continued to knock on my door.  
  
"Can I come in Angel?" Chris asked poking his head in the door.  
  
"Yea sure come on in." I said sitting cross-legged on my bed so that there was room enough for him and me.  
  
"Hey." He said softly sitting next to me on the bed.  
  
"Hey you." I said as a slight grin spread across my face and actually reached my eyes. My smile, for three years, never reached my eyes. But since I've been back with both of my dysfunctional families and friends, my smiles have started to reach my eyes. But only one person has managed to make my smiles reach my eyes whenever we talk, whisper, joke around, and do crazy stuff together. That person is sitting right next to me, it's Chris.  
  
"How ya doin Angel?" he asked getting comfy.  
  
"I'm doin aiight. How 'bout you? How you doin?" I asked snuggling against him.  
  
He draped an arm over me and pulled me closer to him before he said, "I'm doin much better now than I was earlier."  
  
"Why if I may ask?" I whispered as I rubbed my hand over his head (not much hair up there).  
  
"Because I have you in my arms." He whispered back as he closed his eyes.  
  
I chuckled.  
  
"Tired sweetie?" I asked as a smile spread over my features. He just smiled a sleepy smile.  
  
"Yes and yes I will go to sleep. Right here if that's aiight wit you?" he said already drifting off.  
  
"Go ahead and sleep sweetie. I'll be right here when you wake up." I whispered as we both drifted off to dreamland. (a/n: childish I know.)  
  
~~~ goin back about an hour ~~~  
  
*~*~* Letty's POV *~*~*  
  
Dom paced back and forth in the middle of the kitchen after China had gone to bed.  
  
"Dom, will you sit down?" I asked starting to get irritated. He complied and sat down across from me. "What's buggin ya babe?"  
  
He looked up with tears glistening in his eyes. C'mon! This is Dom. He never cries. This can't be right. Dom doesn't cry.  
  
"Dom? What is it? What's wrong?" I asked gettin worried. "This about China?" I asked when he didn't say anything. He simply nodded. "Why Dom?"  
  
He cleared his throat before he said anything. "Why? Because I've just missed her so much. Just when I thought her friends were gunna stop comin around the garage, she goes and runs away. Thought maybe she went over to her crew's places, that was a futile move." Dom said putting his head in his hands.  
  
"Dom, you knew it in your heart that she would've ran away sooner or later. It might've been later if she was still home when we did those heists and didn't tell her. She had her secrets, so did Mia. But Mia and China didn't get along back then. That's part of the reason why she left in the first place. She might not have left at all if you hadn't pushed her away by scaring all her friends away from the garage." I said before standing up and walking out of the room. Dom needed to be alone to think about what I just said.  
  
*~*~* Dom's POV after Letty left *~*~*  
  
Maybe Letty's right. Probably wouldn't make a difference with the heists and stuff if China, my baby sister, hadn't left when she did. If she hadn't left when she did there'd be a whole lot of sticky situations in this house right now. China would probably hate me and everyone else. She'd probably be on the East Coast for all I knew.  
  
~ Sigh ~  
  
Maybe, I should just let China do what she wants since she's all grown up. Maybe that'll keep her around for awhile.  
  
(a/n: sorry took so long since the last chapter. Between school, boyfriend, Tae Kwon Do, sleep, family and some problems I'm goin through, hardly had time. But I'll post next chapter as soon as I can. Reviews are very much appreciated. And thanx to all who reviewed so far. 


	11. Author's Note: Concerns Past Chaps

Author's Note:  
  
I edited and made very small changes to the past chapters! If ya wanna go and check 'em out feel free to. No1 ain't stoppin ya but you! lol Well neway, I edited past chapters to show some ppl that I do care about what I write cuz I do care bout what I write. lata and I'll post the next chapter as soon as I get it done.  
  
xangelx 


	12. chapter 10

AHHHHH! I ain't gettin any reviews! I need 'em if I'm gunna keep postin!  
  
Second Chances  
  
Chapter 10 ~ B-day Surprise for Emerald/ A Tran Family Problem  
  
*~*~* No One's POV *~*~*  
  
The next morning China, Trick, Angel, Dom, Nic, Denver, Ty, and Sky got up before the rest of the house.  
  
"Shhh!" China hissed. "Do you wanna wake everyone up before we get set up down here?"  
  
But the laughter continued.  
  
"If you ruin this, you're all gunna get an ass kicking, compliments of me, if you don't shut the fuck up. And now you guys." China hissed glaring at all of those who were laughing.  
  
"Oh all right. It's a very good thing you didn't tell your sis cause then, from what you told us about her, she'd be runnin around down here givin out orders just like you." whispered Denver sharply.  
  
Laughter erupted but was cut very short as China glared at all.  
  
"Dumbasses." Mumbled China under her breath as she finished puttin up the streamers in the backyard.  
  
~3 hours and 100 balloons later~  
  
"Oh My God!!!!!" China screamed as Sky dumped a bucket of ice cold water over her head. "SKYLAR! I'm gunna kill you!" China yelled as she took off after him.  
  
"Will you two stop?" Angel hissed.  
  
"Sorry, Mom." Sky and China said, emphasizing the word 'Mom' before they all burst out laughing.  
  
"Mom?" Dom asked confused walkin down the back stairs carrying Emerald.  
  
"It's a joke Dom. Angel's always tellin us what to do even if she knows we're doin it already. Like a mother figure." China explained to a very confused Dom as he set Emerald to her feet.  
  
*~*~* China's POV *~*~*  
  
I smiled as Emerald turned a full circle, her face bright with excitement. She ran for Trick and he caught her, threw her up in the air, caught her again and just held her as they began to talk.  
  
I caught Chris's eye and he walked over.  
  
"You did all this didn't you?" he asked as he wrapped his arms around my waist from behind.  
  
"How'd you guess?" I asked smiling slightly.  
  
He shrugged. "I just did. I know you Angel."  
  
I chuckled, shook my head slightly. " You never miss. But, that's why I love you." I whispered, good thing his head was resting on my shoulder cuz then he wouldn't have heard me.  
  
*~*~* Emerald's POV *~*~*  
  
Okay, today is my birthday. I wonder what everyone is gunna do for me today. Hmmmmmm...  
  
Hey! I may be 6 today but I'm a smart 6-year-old. So HA!  
  
Anyway, Dom carried me outside and the whole backyard was decorated just for me. I was soooooo excited that ran to my daddy. We started talking about everything that was gunna happen today. I go into the first grade in only 3 months, yay! School! Daddy says how I get to make new friends and that we can get a fresh start and everything. Though I don't know my mommy, I miss her very much.  
  
Daddy took me back to the backyard after awhile in the front, so that we could sing the happy birthday song and have cake and ice cream and I can open my presents. I saw Mama and Chris talking quietly with each other. She looked really happy with him. But I know she loves me and daddy, Aunt Angel, Uncle Ty, Uncle Sky, Uncle Dom, Uncle Nic, and Uncle Denver. She would never leave us. We're her family and she's part of our family too.  
  
*~*~* China's POV *~*~*  
  
I watched as Mera yawned at about 7pm.  
  
"Come on you. Time for bed." I said as I picked her up. After today she should be tired. I thought as I walked inside, up the stairs and into the guest bedroom where Trick and Mera were staying. I laid her down, covered her up with her favorite blanket (which happens to be her baby blanket), kissed her forehead. "Goodnight baby girl." I whispered before walking out and shutting the door behind me.  
  
As I walked down the stairs I heard people yelling in the front yard and went to investigate.  
  
Johnny Tran and his posse were in the street in front of the house. So were the team, my friends and my crew.  
  
"What's goin on?" I asked walking down the porch stairs. Every head turned towards me. A single tear rolled down Angel's right cheek. "What's goin on?" I asked again, worry intertwining with confusion in my voice.  
  
"Chan and Peter's little brother was killed in the crossfire of an argument gone sour yesterday afternoon." Angel said as another tear snaked its way down her left cheek.  
  
"How's Pete and Chan doin?" I asked as tears blurred my vision. No! God please! Not little Christian! God please not him! My thoughts screamed.  
  
"They're doin just fine." Johnny said tightly.  
  
"How the fuck would you fucking know Tran!" I screamed before choking on a sob.  
  
"I'm their cousin. So is Lance." Johnny said indicating Lance, as he spoke his name, with his head.  
  
"Oh." I mouthed as more tears made their way down my cheeks.  
  
No one has ever seen me cry like I was and it scared some of them. I could tell by their faces. Chris was the only one who dared to approach me. He was the only one who would risk being killed, by me. All because he loves me. I thought melting against him as I felt his arms encircle me. As I sank to the porch floor, he sank with me.  
  
"Pete and Chan are our friends Tran. Don't blow up, not right now." Trick said watching me. "It ain't her fault, so don't blame her." He said walking away.  
  
Okay, I'm evil for the cliffhangers in some of the chapters. But in order to keep people readin is by usin da damn cliffhangers. So bye ya'll!  
  
xangelx 


	13. author's note: 3rd one I know

Author's Note: This goes for all of the stories that I write. Any editing that needs to be done that you find ion any of my stories, feel free to e- mail me and tell me what needs to be done.  
  
Second Chances ~ 12 Chapters ~ I'll be editing this one really soon.  
  
Black Rose ~ 2 Chapters (so far) ~ I'll be editing this one every 3rd chapter or so.  
  
Help is greatly appreciated with both stories.  
  
-thanx-  
  
-xangelx- 


	14. chapter 11

a/n: Oh! I'll be doin more editing than before. If you find anything that needs to be corrected, please let me know! Thanx-a-bunch!  
  
Now on with the chapter!  
  
xangelx  
  
p.s. Be warned! This chapter will go between China and Peter only! Sorry if this isn't what you wanted but...live wit it! Oh yea, NO FLAMES PLEASE! Thank you.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Second Chances  
  
Chapter 11 ~ Peter and Chan Trang's Past Comes to Light  
  
*~*~* Peter's POV *~*~*  
  
Me and Chan pulled up to Johnny's place. His bike was still there, so was his fucking busted car that's nothin but a piece of shit. I swear that boy can't race for shit eitha.  
  
China, I wonder how she took the news of our little brother. Probably not so well as Johnny did. Johnny neva even liked Christian. China did though. She absolutely adored Christian. I'm gunna give her a call once I figure out that dick of a brother of hers numba and name.  
  
Na forget it. I'll just go to one of the races, tonight. That is if I can get away from this...this place! I hate my family otha than Chan and Christian.  
  
We walked up to the door, Chan knocked on the damn door. Don't even know why he bothered. Johnny's family has hated us since the day they found out about us. Ya see, Johnny's a rich ass mother fucka. Don't give a shit bout others in his life, just bout his fucking ass self.  
  
Don't even know why we bothered to tell these fucking rich ass snobs, if they won't even pay for the funeral and shit. Neva even cared, why start now? Aw, forget it! They wouldn't pull this shit if they wanted somethin. Probably wantin us to give in to their fucking wishes and join their fucking rich ass family. They're nothin but cheats and involved in some deep ass shit like that.  
  
*~*~* China's POV *~*~*  
  
Nothin ever gets better. I thought angrily while under the hood of the 2002 Impala I was working on. "UGH!" I exclaimed throwing the wrench I had in my hands as hard as I possibly could at the nearest wall.  
  
"What's wrong lil one?" Dom asked walking over to where the wrench landed on the floor.  
  
"Annoyed, depressed, ya know the drill." I said leaning against the Impala and taking a good look at my older brother. Somethin's different about him. But what? I thought as my eyes narrowed in thought.  
  
Dom looked up and caught me staring at him. He straightened back up with a slight grin breaking over his features. "What?" he asked chuckling slightly.  
  
"Nothin. Just thinkin is all." I answered taking the proffered wrench from him and turning away before he read my eyes. For some reason, my eyes were like an open window to my emotions, neva figured out how or why though. It's been an ongoing mystery needing to be solved.  
  
"China." Dom said sternly.  
  
I didn't turn around.  
  
"China AngelMarie Toretto." Dom said sternly. This time he said my whole name. My whole name with that tone of voice does not go over well.  
  
I sighed as I turned around.  
  
"What is it Dom?" I asked softly looking at him straight in the eye.  
  
"C'mon sweets. What's wrong? You used to be able to talk to me about your problems. Why is now any different than before?" Dom said tenderly, pulling me to him in a hug that could make me, Mia, and Letty dissolve into tears if somethin was bugging us.  
  
I began to sob.  
  
"C'mon sweets. Let's go for a drive." Dom said softly, taking my hand and leading me to his car. He snatched the wrench, I had been holding, out of my hand and jogging back to the garage. He came back out a few minutes later. He turned on the car and peeled out of the parking lot and down the road.  
  
*~*~* Peter's POV *~*~*  
  
I'm sittin in my car, in front of Toretto's Café. For what reason, I have no idea. Maybe it's because you wanna see China. Taunted a voice in the back of my mind.  
  
Yea. Maybe. I thought after thinking it over. Maybe.  
  
All of a sudden my cell phone rang. I answered it.  
  
"Hello?" I asked looking back across the street at Toretto's and wondering who could possibly be able to get a hold of my cell number.  
  
"Pete? Where are you?" the familiar female voice asked worriedly.  
  
"Toretto's. Where are you?" I asked smiling as I heard the gasp from the other end.  
  
"I-I'm there - here, too." She said stuttering. "If Dom finds out you're here he's gunna blow a major-ass gasket. Not to mention what Johnny might do to you if he finds out you've been here." Her voice got stronger as she spoke.  
  
"Mind if I come in and talk to you for a few minutes?" I asked tuning the car off.  
  
"No, I don't mind. C'mon over, if you're up to it of course, Pete." She said worry lacing her voice. She always did worry about me, Chan and Christian.  
  
"Okay. I'll be over in a couple minutes." I said getting out of the car. "Bye."  
  
"Bye" she said and we hung up.  
  
*~*~* China's POV *~*~*  
  
When I called Pete's cell phone, I hadn't expected him to be right across the street. But he was and for that I'm glad. He was always a quiet one. I was the only one he could talk to and that could possibly understand what he was goin through at the time of, well, his parents' death. That's a different story for another time. Anyway, Pete always used to keep to himself. Not saying a word to anybody unless he was in excruciating pain or something to that measure. Extreme? Yes. It was extreme but not for Pete. He always kept his fears and pain to himself. He shared nothing with no one, except maybe me of course.  
  
Why dear friend? Why now do you show your true fears through your voice and your very soul? I thought sadly watching the door.  
  
This is what you have to understand before I relay the next couple events. Peter Trang was a well-built man, with dark and mysterious brown eyes and black hair. His facial features were chiseled, which made him look rougher than he really was. He wasn't hotheaded like his young brother, Chan, but sweet and kind like his baby brother, Christian.  
  
"China?" a deep voice asked upon entering via the door connecting the garage and store.  
  
I groaned. I still hadn't taken my eyes from the door of the store.  
  
"What is it now Vince?" I asked irritated at the interruption to my thoughts.  
  
"Who's the guy walking across the street?" he asked taking a seat in front of me as everyone else came in.  
  
I looked at the clock. 12:30. I groaned inwardly. Then, the door opened and at the sound of the tinkling of the tiny bells on the door, turned to see Peter standing there. I brightened instantly.  
  
"Pete!" I yelled. I jumped over the counter and rushed at him.  
  
He laughed as he caught me in his arms in a hug only us two could understand as an unbreakable friendship. "How's it goin dear friend?" he asked as we released each other from the hug.  
  
"It's goin good, Pete. What are you doing here?" I asked as we walked to the counter. I resumed my place behind the counter, putting my current book, Pandora by Anne Rice, under the counter.  
  
"Came to see you and family's lit one hell of a fire under me and Chan's asses." Peter said taking a seat on a stool, which happened to be right beside Vince.  
  
"About?" I inquired innocently. I was not prepared for the answer he gave, which I knew for the truth because Peter never spoke lies even little white ones.  
  
"Christian and the death of my parents." Peter said dropping his head to his hands.  
  
I stood in shock. I knew that Peter and Chan's family hated them for some reason but I never really found out why. I didn't want to ask but I knew if I didn't I'd never know. "Why?" I asked sadly. Peter looked up shocked I had asked.  
  
"I should have told you when you asked the last time. But I wasn't ready then and I'm not ready now. Please forgive me but I just can't tell you yet." Peter said sadly. He looked around the room to find my family, both of them combined. The Scorpions wore a look of sadness. But the DT team wore a look of pure hatred at having one of Johnny's relatives in the store and me talking to him no less.  
  
"Mia, since you're back. You can have the store back." I said pulling my book out from under the counter. I was angry with the DT team and I made sure they knew it before Pete and I left. "Dom, Letty, Vince, Jesse, Leon, Mia and Brian! You guys need to learn when to keep your looks and emotions to yourselves when you're thinking of my friends! Peter and Chan aren't like their cousin! You should be able to tell between them and their family! You will never have my full trust ever again unless you think about what I just said, yelled, and apologize to Peter when we get to the house later!" and with that said Pete and I walked out of the store and to our respective cars. 


End file.
